BTS 49-14 advisory BTS Releases August 2014 North American Freight Numbers U.S.-NAFTA freight totaled $100.6 billion in August 2014 as all five major transportation modes – air, vessel, pipeline, rail, and trucks – carried more U.S.-NAFTA freight than in August 2013, according to the TransBorder Freight Data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). August was the sixth consecutive month with U.S.-NAFTA freight flows exceeding $100 million. In August, the value of commodities moving by vessel grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 11.7 percent. Pipeline freight increased 6.8 percent followed by a rail increase of 3.4 percent, a truck increase of 3.3 percent, and an air increase of 2.3 percent. Of the $4.2 billion increase in the value of US-NAFTA freight from August 2013, truck freight contributed the most, $1.9 billion, followed by rail, $514 million. The trucking increase was due almost entirely to growth in truck freight with Mexico as U.S.-Canada truck trade remained almost unchanged. Trucks carry three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA freight and are the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners. Trucks carried 59.6 percent of U.S.-NAFTA freight in August 2014, accounting for $31.2 billion of exports and $28.8 billion of imports. Rail remained the second largest mode, moving 15.5 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA freight, followed by vessel at 9.2 percent, pipeline at 7.4 percent, and air at 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.5 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows. U.S.-Canada Freight Year-over-year, the percent change in the value of U.S.-Canada freight moved by vessel increased the most of any mode, growing 46.9 percent, driven primarily by exports of mineral fuels. Freight moved by pipeline increased 6.1 percent and rail increased by 2.2 percent, while truck and air were essentially unchanged. Trucks carried 53.0 percent of the $55.5 billion of freight to and from Canada, followed by rail at 16.4 percent, pipeline at 12.8 percent, vessel at 7.1 percent and air at 4.3 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.2 percent of the total U.S.-Canada freight flows. U.S.-Mexico Freight Year-over-year, the value of pipeline freight rose 21.1 percent, the largest percentage increase of any U.S.-Mexico mode. Freight moved by air increased 6.7 percent, truck by 6.6 percent and rail by 5.2. Vessel decreased by 5.3 percent; the decrease in vessel freight was principally due to a decline in mineral fuels imports. Trucks carried 67.7 percent of the $45.1 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail at 14.4 percent, vessel at 11.7 percent, air at 2.9 percent and pipeline at 0.8 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.9 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows. See BTS Transborder Data Release for summary tables and additional data. See North American Transborder Freight Data on the BTS website for additional data for surface modes since 1995 and all modes since 2004. ### You are subscribed to DOT News for Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
| |||||||||||||||||
BTS Releases August 2014 North American Freight Numbers
